12 spine-tingling short stories

With Halloween right around the corner, I think it's the perfect time to grab some fun-sized candy bars (I suggest 100 Grand), snuggle up with a good short story and get scared stiff.

I asked the authors and editors I spoke with about the state of the horror industry and the transition to small presses to tell us their favorite spine-tingling short stories. After some research and reading (yes, I have been sleeping with the lights on), here is a list of 12 wonderfully scary short stories.

"Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament"By Clive BarkerAvailable in "Darkness: Two Decades of Modern Horror," edited by Ellen DatlowTachyon Publications, $15.95, 424 pages

Jacqueline Ess has a secret. She can change the shape of men around her and even alter the look of her own body. Only one man, Oliver Vassi, really loves her for who she is. It seems, though, they can never be together, which is a fact readers come to fully understand during the characters heart-wrenching (and horrifying) final reunion. The basic plot follows Ess on her quest to fully understand her power which takes readers through her multiple relationships with men who have no idea what is coming their way.

Maybe the earliest example of cross-genre work, this is a horror and hardboiled detective story all wrapped up in one. Two educated men who live in total seclusion (the reasoning of which is not really explained) read of the brutal murders of a woman and her daughter. They offer their services as detectives to the chief of police, who happily accepts. Venturing out only at night, the two eventually solve the crime - and the culprit is not who or what you think.

"I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream"By Harlan EllisonAvailable in "American Fantastic Tales: Terror and the Uncanny from the 1940's Until Now"Library of America, $35, 750 pages

109 years after a world war in which the U.S., Russia and China created super computers to destroy each other, only five humans and one of the computers still exist. The five humans are kept in an underground cave and used for entertainment by the computer. For the humans, this entertainment is actually torture. The narrative follows the humans' horrific journey through the cave's many passages to find food. The brilliant ending is tragic and draws out unexpected emotions in a way that only an incredibly talented writer could.

Written in diary format, King tells the story of a disgraced surgeon who, while trying to smuggle heroin into the country, finds himself on a deserted island. The surgeon fancies himself a 'survivor type' and tries to survive as long as he can on the island. Eventually he has to resort of self-cannibalism, which leads to one of my favorite lines: "Lady fingers they taste like lady fingers". The diary entries become more and more unintelligible and crazed as the doctor descends into madness.

The setting is a small town like many others. The inhabitants have traditions such as the teen club, the Halloween program and the lottery. Only this lottery has nothing to do with money and everything to do with the large pile of stones referenced in the second paragraph.

This story plops readers directly in the middle of Calcutta, India, and Hand's word choice makes the city's crud, stink and filth truly come alive. Readers follow a narrator through the streets and discover a futuristic Calcutta where humans and zombies live side-by-side. This is a great zombie tale told in a manner that is truly unexpected. While slow-moving, "Calcutta" is incredibly detailed and well worth the read.

An old CIA agent is charged with protecting scientists who are conducting telepathic experiments on people they think are humans. Little does the agent know that the scientists are getting involved with some dangerous occult forces and quickly losing control of their subjects. Although it may sound like one, this is not your typical science-gone-wrong story. It is instead a fast-paced adventure that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

Jane has loved butterflies as long as she can remember; from the rotating mobile over her crib to her collegiate entomology studies. But after she is horribly raped, she leaves America for London where she visits a strange nightclub that seems to have a paranormal effect on her. Under the pseudonym of Cleopatra Brimstone she discovers a whole new way to collect butterflies.

This is a story about sexy blonde women who may or may not be aliens. Do I have say more?

"The Box"By Jack KetchumPeaceable KingdomLeisure Books, 384 pages

A boy on a train looks into a mysterious box. What happens next causes him and his family to lose their appetite and, eventually, their will to live. It is the kind of story that from the beginning unsettles readers with an eerie feeling of dread - that won't leave for days.

"The Crowd"By Ray BradburyAvailable in "The October Country"Avon Books, $15.95, 352 pages

Since reading this I have never looked at witnesses of a crime the same way. This classic Bradbury tale is about a group by bystanders who take matters into their own hands when it comes to car accident victims. These victims may survive their wreck, but they might not be so lucky when it comes to "The Crowd." (Note: This is a fabulous collection and really all of its stories are worth a read.)

My last choice is not one specific story, but a fabulous Web site that posts new science-fiction stories weekly. (A lot of their science-fiction stories include elements from the horror genre.) This site does a great job of varying their contributors from best-selling authors like Stephen King to young, emerging voices. Lightspeed is definitely a good site to make a 'favorite' for when you need to take a mental break at the office.